Dean Blandino is not a referee, but is a comedian

[big dog cowboy]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/201...edian-dean-blandino-one-most-powerful-men-nfl
ESPN has the story trying to build up Blandino, yet they admit he was a comedian, and has never been a referee, EVER.

I'm not making this up, Dez's catch was overruled by a comedian, who didn't properly apply NFL rules, and has never referee'd a game.

STUNNING.

 

[BigStar]

"Because of the unique nature of the business, NFL officiating is sort of a fraternity. It's a brotherhood of men who are ordinary during the week -- working as lawyers and accountants."

That's the problem with NFL officials right there.

There have to be younger athletes with better visual ability who are capable of being full time refs for the NFL. I would think it would make much more sense to have younger refs (assumed increased visual-spatial abilities), than the current group. What has experience gotten them? Some will bring up the replacement refs but those weren't full time refs either and the drop off was shockingly minimal considering all the praise (or passes) that NFL refs receive. Admittedly you have to miss some things due to human error but with the technology available, it just seems that human error is intentionally left in the refereeing process for some reason (holding and PI being so discretionary gives the ability to control the momentum of games to the refs)??

 

[DogFace]

I hate this guy.

 

[CowboyGil]

I like the way the league is hiding Blandino behind their skirt by not givng ESPN an interview.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I find it funny that they were looking for a guy with communication skills and Blandino's communication skills are awful. Just because you have a degree in communications doesn't exactly mean you are good at it.





YR

 

[links18]

He's a PR guy, nothing more. His skill is to control how the public talks about a given event or issue, and he hit a home run with this one. He got most of the football-watching public debating football moves and discussing one specific rule. He reversed a call on the field that he had absolutely no business reversing, and then defined the public debate mostly by keeping the focus off that call and on the rule.

Well, they also have the public talking about deflated balls that probably had no impact on the game, while a bizzare call that almost certainly did affect the course of the playoffs is sent to the backburner. "Good job, Patriots!" Says Goodell.

 

[LandryFan]

I find it funny that they were looking for a guy with communication skills and Blandino's communication skills are awful. Just because you have a degree in communications doesn't exactly mean you are good at it.





YR

And just because you call yourself a comedian doesn't mean you are one...I don't find him to be a damn bit funny!

 

[Yakuza Rich]

And just because you call yourself a comedian doesn't mean you are one...I don't find him to be a damn bit funny!

He sounds like he just did open mic which virtually anybody can do, especially in NYC where there are tons of comedy clubs. Big difference from being an opener or a middle that gets to travel and far different from being a headliner that does that solely for a living.

I have some extreme reservations about a guy being the VP of Officiating and having never refereed a game before. Perhaps I could understand if the person had a disability and physically couldn't do it, but knew refereeing inside-and-out. But Blandino doesn't appear to have any of those issues and seemed to have lucked his way into a job that he's not qualified for.






YR

 

[LandryFan]

I have some extreme reservations about a guy being the VP of Officiating and having never refereed a game before. Perhaps I could understand if the person had a disability and physically couldn't do it, but knew refereeing inside-and-out. But Blandino doesn't appear to have any of those issues and seemed to have lucked his way into a job that he's not qualified for.YR

That is astounding, actually. I was shocked when I first learned that.

 

[BAT]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/201...edian-dean-blandino-one-most-powerful-men-nfl
ESPN has the story trying to build up Blandino, yet they admit he was a comedian, and has never been a referee, EVER.

I'm not making this up, Dez's catch was overruled by a comedian, who didn't properly apply NFL rules, and has never referee'd a game.

STUNNING.

I thought it was a bad call, because to overturn call on field it needed to be irrefutable and "not enough of a football move" is far from irrefutable. In any event, Blandino's call was almost universally supported by former officials, who had extensive field referee experience. It was an iffy overturn IMO, but the rule itself is the real problem.

 

[nathanlt]

I thought it was a bad call, because to overturn call on field it needed to be irrefutable and "not enough of a football move" is far from irrefutable. In any event, Blandino's call was almost universally supported by former officials, who had extensive field referee experience. It was an iffy overturn IMO, but the rule itself is the real problem.

The rule does not apply to a situation where a guy travels five yards with the ball NEVER WOBBLING in his hands.
Then 2 elbows went down the ball never moved. the play was over at that point. Additionally, the catching process was complete at that point.

Then later, the ball moved on impact. Even so, it did not leave Dez's hands, which still had a grip on it while it was moving.
The rule is an excuse to take away legitimate CATCHES. And it's a poor excuse, because it DOES NOT APPLY TO THE PLAY.

 

[ConstantReboot]

I thought it was a bad call, because to overturn call on field it needed to be irrefutable and "not enough of a football move" is far from irrefutable. In any event, Blandino's call was almost universally supported by former officials, who had extensive field referee experience. It was an iffy overturn IMO, but the rule itself is the real problem.

What rule? It specified that a receiver only needs two feet in bounds with full control of the ball and a move common to the game. There is nothing wrong with the rule. Its the overturn of the call that was completely biased and against what instant reply was about.

They are bending the rule to fit their agenda. I don't care what other refs are saying. They are paid to say what they want them to say. Like Mike Pereira. As for former officials, who are they? Most of the people who play the game and even friends who hate Dallas actually said thats a catch and that we were cheated. There is no debating thats a catch and people need to stop falling for what the media throws at them. They are in the entertainment business and nothing else. Thus they don't need to tell the truth - just like Fox News.

 

[cowboyvic]

If he does not resign.FIRE HIM! he is a disgrace to refs every where.if he had any shame, he would resign.

 

[cowboyvic]

What rule? It specified that a receiver only needs two feet in bounds with full control of the ball and a move common to the game. There is nothing wrong with the rule. Its the overturn of the call that was completely biased and against what instant reply was about.

They are bending the rule to fit their agenda. I don't care what other refs are saying. They are paid to say what they want them to say. Like Mike Pereira. As for former officials, who are they? Most of the people who play the game and even friends who hate Dallas actually said thats a catch and that we were cheated. There is no debating thats a catch and people need to stop falling for what the media throws at them. They are in the entertainment business and nothing else. Thus they don't need to tell the truth - just like Fox News.

You post is spot on. this screw job had nothing to do with a rule. it had to do with this fool being seen on the cowboys bus. and picking up the flag in the Lions game.and everyone knows it.

 

[BAT]

What rule? It specified that a receiver only needs two feet in bounds with full control of the ball and a move common to the game. There is nothing wrong with the rule. Its the overturn of the call that was completely biased and against what instant reply was about.

They are bending the rule to fit their agenda. I don't care what other refs are saying. They are paid to say what they want them to say. Like Mike Pereira. As for former officials, who are they? Most of the people who play the game and even friends who hate Dallas actually said thats a catch and that we were cheated. There is no debating thats a catch and people need to stop falling for what the media throws at them. They are in the entertainment business and nothing else. Thus they don't need to tell the truth - just like Fox News.

You are not familiar with what is unofficially called the Calvin Johnson rule? It was repeated and rehashed ad nauseum on CZ as well as the entire country for weeks - "catches that are made while going to the ground requires continuous possession". I agree that this was a catch as well, and that Dez had 3 feet down, an elbow, AND possession but this rule allows officials to interpret catches differently (which I am completely against) if going to the ground.

BUT even using this rule, Dez still made a football move. I completely disagree that an off field call could be reversed due to subjective interpretation of what characterizes not a football move, but "enough of a football move". It's a horrible rule.

As for the other refs who supported the reversal, google is your friend.

 

[T-RO]

Ben from Ben and Skin said he told him he knew he wanted to get into the NFL somehow so he applied for an internship with the refs association and got it and then before he knew it he was in charge.

it's also interesting to point out that the NFL denied a interview with Blandino by ESPN for the article. hmmm

I don't know anything about the guy, but with such a name I'm guessing good Italian bloodlines with the right connections. You can climb any ladder with the right help.

 

[T-RO]

This IS thee most embarrassing NFL season, as far as officiating, in the history of football. Period.
...There isn't a big enough rag to wipe all the egg off their face.

Or to wipe up the mess elsewhere, if you understand me.

 

[ConstantReboot]

You are not familiar with what is unofficially called the Calvin Johnson rule? It was repeated and rehashed ad nauseum on CZ as well as the entire country for weeks - "catches that are made while going to the ground requires continuous possession". I agree that this was a catch as well, and that Dez had 3 feet down, an elbow, AND possession but this rule allows officials to interpret catches differently (which I am completely against) if going to the ground.

BUT even using this rule, Dez still made a football move. I completely disagree that an off field call could be reversed due to subjective interpretation of what characterizes not a football move, but "enough of a football move". It's a horrible rule.

As for the other refs who supported the reversal, google is your friend.

The Dez catch was nothing more than an ordinary catch that happens every game. They are trying to say that its because of the Calvin Johnson rule that they ruled it was not a catch and that they needed to change it.

It has nothing to do with Calvin Johnson rule and everything to do with why they took that victory away from the Cowboys. Its the NFL trying to justify why they made the ruling and saying its because of the terrible rule is the reason why they overruled it.

Jerry should really think about suing. Why not. We already got screwed by the rules during the non contract year that we went over the cap and the league punished us for it. It was unfair and we didn't even speak out against it. This is something the front office should speak out against. They need to stop this ridiculous bias about the Cowboys once and for all.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Jerry should really think about suing. Why not. We already got screwed by the rules during the non contract year that we went over the cap and the league punished us for it. It was unfair and we didn't even speak out against it. This is something the front office should speak out against. They need to stop this ridiculous bias about the Cowboys once and for all.

There is probably a rule against that.

 

[percyhoward]

"catches that are made while going to the ground require continuous possession". .

If the player catches the ball and gets both feet down, then contact by a defender sends him to the ground, he doesn't have to maintain possession after hitting the ground. That's how it was called on the field.

The rule that Blandino has everybody talking about applies to a different kind of play -- one where the receiver is going to the ground to make the catch. This play from the 2013 regular season is the kind of play where that rule would apply.

The rule says Dez has to be going to the ground on his own, like Johnson was in the video. Blandino can't talk about the call on the field without acknowledging the contact by the defender that sent Dez to the ground. He'd have to explain what he saw in the replay that proves the contact wasn't what caused Dez to fall. "Football moves" and "completing the catch process" would not matter.

That's why Blandino talks so much about the rule instead, where those things do matter. But we're only looking at the rule because he wants us to. It's a rule that doesn't even apply to the Dez play.